Selective coin dispenser



1955 J. A. FREMON SELECTIVE COIN DISPENSER 3 Sheets-$heet 1.

Filed Feb. 25, 1952 INVENTOR. JUL ES A. FREMON ky W Nov. 22, 1955 J. A. FREMON SELECTIVE COIN DISPENSER Filed Feb. 25, 1952 FIG. 3.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 6' I 2 I I a 15 I I I1 II I I l H IIIIIII IIII II Fla. 4.

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INVENTOR. JUL ES A. F REMON Nov. 22, 195 J. A. FREMON 2,724,391

SELECTIVE com DISPENSER Filed Feb. 25, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 0 I '0 m l v INVENTOR. JUL ES A. F REMON Unite States atent fifice 2,724,391 Fatented Nov. 22, 1955 SELECTIVE COllN DISPENSER JulesA. Fremon, St. Louis, Mo.

Application February 25, 1952, Serial No. 273,193 3 Claims. (Cl. 1334 This invention relates in general to coin apparatus and more specifically to a mechanism for selectively dispensing one or more predetermined pluralities of coins of like de nomination from a storage magazine.

In coin dispensers previous to this invention coins are usually dispensed one at a time from the bottom of a magazine, the discharge of each coin requiring a cornplete operation cycle of the mechanism. This means and method is time consuming and necessariiy requires a complicated selecting system in order to properly start and stop the mechanism corresponding to the exact number of desired coins to be discharged.

Other coin dispensers previous to this invention, which are adapted to discharge preselected pluralities of coins. utilize single or superimposed discharge slides of predetermined thickness, the thickness of each slide corresponding to and gauging the number of coins discharged when the slide is operated. Both single and multiple slides must i provide excessive clearance to accommodate a wide vari ation in coin thickness and therefore they often deliver an improper number of coins and in many cases the slides are rendered inoperative because of the jamming of thin coins between the slide and its discharge aperture.

The above and other objections are completely overcome in the novel combination of elements in the present invention which will, upon a simple preselection setting and a subsequent single discharge operation, deliver a predetermined selected plurality of coins of normal thickness or a proper number of coins including coins of subnormal or abnormal thickness, which feature comprises the principal object of the invention.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a selective coin dispensing device responsive to existing coin accumulators and actuators whereby the deposit therein of coins of predetermined different denominations will initiate a selector means whereby a subsequent single operation of p the device will deliver from a storage magazine a predetermined number of unit change coins corresponding with said deposited coins.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a self-restoring adjusting device for conditioning the dispensing means to simultaneously deliver a predetermined number of coins, including one or more coins of subnormal thickness, without jamming when the device is operated.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an auxiliary safety device for automatically relieving a jammed condition in said device when one or more coins of abnormal thickness or otherwise deformed coins are encountered by the discharge means.

These and other objects and advantages in one embodiment of the invention are described and shown in. the following specification and drawings, in which;

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the dispensing device;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional plan view taken through section line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig; 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional elevation through section line 5-5 of Fig. l;

Fig. 6 is the same as Fig. 1 in changed position;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional elevation taken through section line 77 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevation of an alternate form of the magazine shown in Figs. 3 and 7; and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary cross-sectional end view of the magazine shown in Fig. 8.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a frame member 1 serves as a main support for the entire device and includes a fixed front plate 2 retained in position shown by threaded studs 3 and nuts 4. A guide member 5 secured to frame 1 by screws 6 retains in a bore therein a coin magazine or tube 7 in which change coins of predetermined diameter are retained, better shown in Fig. 5. A shoulder screw 9 threaded into plate 2 retains on its inner portion a shoulder bushing 10 extending through a slot 11 in theupper end of slide 8 for guiding the vertical movement of the slide. A second shoulder screw 9 is threaded into plate 2 and. a second shoulder bushing 10 extends through slot 12 and serves to guide the lower portion of the slide 8.

taken A platform member 13 secured to the lower offset portion 14 of slide 8 has its upper horizontal surface positioned to support the vertical column of coins 15 in the tube 7. Thus, vertical movement of the slide will raise and lower the entire stack of coins through predetermined distances corresponding to the number of coins to be dispensed in a single discharge operation, as: will hereinafter be described.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 5, a selector slide 16 is sliciably positioned for vertical movement adjacent the outer surface of plate 2 by screws 9-9 through upper and lower guide slots 17 and 18 in the slide. A bell crank selector lever 19 is pivotally secured to the slide 16'by shoulder screw 20. One arm of the crank terminates in a pointer 21 adjacent to a coin indicating scale22 integral with plate 2. The pointer and scale are shown only to illustrate the operation of the device and may be omitted in practice. The lower arm of the crank has formed therein five registration steps, the first step 23 corresponding to restored or inoperative position of the device, and steps 24, 25, 26 and 27 corresponding to positions of the lever 19 for selectively dispensing one, two, three and four coins, respectively, when the device is operated.

bell crank 19 into its restored or inoperative position,

as shown in Fig. 1.

A setting link 33, shown broken, is pivotally secured to the upper arm of the bell crank by shoulder screw 34 for selectively positioning the bell crank for the dispens ing of a predetermined number of coins. This link is intended to be operated by a coin-controlled actuator, not shown.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 5, an actuating pin 35 secured in the slide 8 extends through apertures 2a and 16ain plate 2 and slide 16,respectively, with its upper end on gaged in slot 36 in lever 37, which lever is pivotally se cured at its opposite end to plate 2 by screw 38.

. Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a crank shaft 39 journalled through frame member 1 and plate 2 and provided with a crank 40 terminates in a crank pin 41, as shown, and is intended to be rotated one revolution from the end shown broken away by a coin-responsive actuator, not

It is apparent that the number of steps mayi be changed to suit the desired selection of coins to be shown, to complete one dispensing cycle of the device. When the crank 40 is rotated it will engage the lower edge 37a of lever 37 and raise the coin slide 8 to its uppermost position, where the slide will be held by virtue of the latching action of the pin 28 with the prepositioned step 23 in the bell crank 19, as shown in Fi .1.

ieferring to Fig. 5, a wear-resistant ring 43 is secured in the guide member adjacent to the lower end of and coaxial with the coin tube 7 for the purpose of resisting wear at its discharge edge. A coin discharge slide 44, formed from sheet metal, rests upon the upper horizontal surface of the ofiset portion of frame 1 and is retained for reciprocation thereon in ways 4545 in opposite sides of the guide member 5, as shown.

The cross-sectional view, Fig. 4, shows the top surface of the discharge slide 44 in its operative position resting upon the upper surface of the offset portion of frame 1.

, An opening 46, symmetrically positioned along the slide with respect to the axis of the coin tube 7 provides clearance for the platform member 13 when the slide is reciprocated. A. circular pocket 47, joining opening 46, provides a receptacle in which pluralities of coins in the lower end of stack are coaxially registered therein. A pair of oppositely disposed abutting corners 48-48 are positioned to engage the edges of predetermined numbers of coins to be transferred laterally without interfering with the platform 13. A clearance aperture 49, shown in dotted lines, is provided through the horizontal offset portion of the frame 1 to provide a passageway for the gravity discharge of coins from the pocket 47 in the slide, when it is reciprocated. The abutting corners 4848 are of sufficient height to engage the edges of the maximum number of coins to be discharged in a single cycle of movement of the slide. For the purpose of illustration, the height of the corners 48-48 is sufficient to engage anddischarge four superimposed coins simultaneously. -Referring to Fig. 4, slide 44 is provided with two upturned lugs 50 and 51, to which drive bar 52 is secured by two shoulder rivets 5353, also shown in Fig. 1.

:'When one or more coins are positioned in pocket 47 and rest upon platform 13, they will be displaced laterally and discharged from beneath the lower edge of ring 43 and.gravitate through clearance aperture 49 when the slide 44 is moved laterally to its discharge position.

.The mechanism for operating the discharge slide 44 is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and consists of a pair of equal length links 5454 pivotally secured to bar 52 at one of ,their ends by rivets 53-53. Their opposite ends are pivotally secured by rivets 55 and 56 in opposite ends of bar 57 forming a parallelogram which may be positioned at various heights.

- A coil spring 58 is secured at one end to bar 52 by stud 59 and at its opposite end to stud 60 in bar 57. Thus, for the dischargevof coins of normal thickness the bar 57 remains in contact with bar 52 and is retained in this position by spring 58. A pin 61 integral with rivet 56' I is engaged in slide 62 in the lower end of lever 63, which lever is pivotally secured to plate 2 by shoulder screw 64. A cam opening 65 in the upper end portion of lever 63 is engaged by crank pin 41. Thus it is apparent that when crank shaft 39 is rotated one revolution, bars 52 and 57 will first drive discharge slide 44 to its discharge position, shown in Fig. 6, and then after a pause, determined by the shape of the cam opening return the slide to rest position shown in Fig. 1.

An actuating pin 66 secured in slide 16 and positioned above bar 57, shown in Fig. l and better shown in Fig. 5,

is. for the purpose of raising slide 8 and the column of coins resting on platform 13 to relieve a jamming condition of the. slide 44 when coins of sub-normal thickness are among those being discharged.

.Referring to Fig. 1, and under the assumption a supply of unit change coins has been deposited in the open end of thecoin tube 7 and retained therein with the lowermost coin of the column resting on the platform 13, the elements of the device will assume the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 5. Since this embodiment of the device is capable of selectively discharging one, two, three or four coins, and under the assumption that the discharge of three coins is desired, the pointer 21 of bell crank 19 is set to position 3 by a vertical movement of link 33 which is responsive to an actuating mechanism, not shown. Then the slide 8 will descend by gravity to a position where pin 28 will come to rest on step 26 and platform 13 in descending will position three coins in the pocket 47, with the upper surface of the third lowermost coin positioned slightly below the lower surface of the ring 43, and also slightly above the upper surface of the discharge slide, whereupon the rotation of crank shaft 39 in the direction shown by arrow 180 by an actuator, not shown, will rock lever 63 and move the bars 52 and 57 and the discharge slide 44 with its associated elements to the position shown in Fig. 6. This movement will displace the lowermost three coins from the stack15 laterally into and through the discharge aperture 49 in frame 1, as illustrated in Fig. 7. The fourth lowermost coin is prevented from moving laterally by the contact of its leading edge with the ring 43. The remaining coins in the stack are prevented from further descent when the slide 44 is in discharge position by virtue of the position of the opposite edges of the fourth lowermost coin straddling the opening 46 in the slide 44, as shown in Fig. 4.

Further rotation of shaft 39 180 in the same direction will return the discharge slide 44 to its normal inoperative position, and the contact of crank arm 40 with lever 37 at 37a will raise slide 8 and re-engage pin 28 with step 23, thus holding the slide and its plaftorm 13 in normal position, whereupon the stack of coins 15, shown in Fig. 5, will rest upon the upper surface of platform 13 in position for a further selective discharge operation.

It is now apparent that one to four coins may be selectively discharged by corresponding settings of bell crank 19 followed by repetition of the above-described operation.

Referring to Fig. 7, and in the event the lowermost metered stack of coins subject to discharge includes one or more coins of subnormal thickness, and again under the assumption that the discharge of three coins is desired, the fourth lowermost coin will be engaged by the'corners 48 48 and its opposite edge will abut against the lower inner surface of the ring 43, thus momentarily preventing the movement of the slide 44 and preventing the discharge of the lowermost three coins. Under these conditions and referring to Figs. 1 and 6, the lever 63 will exert sufficient force against pin 61 to move bar 57 upward with respect to bar 52 against the restraining action of spring 58. The upper surface of the bar 57 will then engage and move the pin 66 and slide 16, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6, which, in turn, will slightly raise the entire stack of coins in the tube 7 sufliciently far to free the locking engagement of the fourth uppermost coin from the abutting corners 4843 and the edge of the ring 43, whereupon the slide 44 and its elements will operate in the normal previously described manner to discharge the three desired coins. This automatic interference relieving feature will operate equally well for the discharge of any number of selected coins within the predetermined range the lower edge of the gate resting in the same transverse plane as that occupied by the lower edge of the ring 43 shown in Fig. 7 and partially covering a coin clearance aperture 70 in the lower edge of the tube 7. The inner lower edge 71 of the gate shown in Fig. 9 is normally positioned, whereby the edge of a deformed coin or coin of non-uniform thickness is engaged by the slide 44 and tends to become wedged against the gate. The upper coin of the group desired to be discharged will cam against the edge 71 of the gate 67 and move the gate upward to permit free passage of the selected group of coins into the clearance aperture 49 for discharge, as shown in Fig. 4.

It will be apparent to those skilled in this art that many modifications, and alternate constructions of the device are possible without departing from the means for selectively dispensing coins and automatically relieving an inoperative condition when the device encounters coins of improper dimensions.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A coin dispenser comprising a means forming a frame, a magazine secured in said frame adapted to retain a column of coins of predetermined diameter in vertical stacked relation, a coin elevator secured for vertical movement in said frame including an integral platform positioned under said magazine for supporting said column of coins thereon, a coin discharge slide positioned for horizontal reciprocation in said frame under said magazine and adapted to straddle said platform, said slide constructed to discharge a preselected number of lowermost coinsfrom said column corresponding to a preselected vertical position of said platform when said slide is operated, selector means in said frame articulated with said coin elevator responsive to a setting means for positioning said elevator and said platform to each of a predetermined plurality of positions with respect to the lower end of said magazine, each of said positions corresponding to a predetermined number of coins to be discharged, lever means pivotly secured to said slide for reciprocating said slide when operated, said lever means adapted to move upward when the forward movement of said slide is temporarily restrained, urging means for normally holding said lever means in its lowermost position, an abutment fixed to said elevator in the upward path of movement of said lever means whereby an interfering coin in excess of said preselected number will be prevented from being discharged or locking said slide by the predetermined upward movement of said lever means and said elevator against the restraining action of said urging means to raise the said interfering coin into said magazine during the forward movement of said slide.

2. in a coin dispenser of the character described, means forming a frame, a vertical magazine fixed to said frame for retaining a stack of coins, a platform secured for limited vertical movement in said frame and extending under said magazine for supporting said stack of coins, a discharge slide secured for limited horizontal movement in said frame and extending under the lower end of said magazine, said slide adapted to laterally displace and discharge any coin or coins on said platform and below said lower end of said magazine, when operated, a first lever means pivotly secured to said slide for moving said slide to its discharge position, said first lever adapted to move upward with respect to said slide when the forward move,- ment of said slide is temporarily restrained, spring means connecting said first lever means and said slide for normally holding said lever means in its lowermost position, second lever means pivotly secured to said frame and articulated with said first mentioned lever means for normally reciprocating both said first mentioned lever means and said slide when operated, an abutment fixed to said elevator in the upward path of movement of said first lever means whereby a coin in locking engagement between said slide and the lower edge of said magazine will temporarily arrest the movement of said slide and permit said first lever means to raise said elevator and the interfering said coin into the magazine and release said slide to continue its movement to its said discharge position when said second lever means is operated.

3. In a coin dispenser of the character described means forming a frame, a coin magazine vertically positioned in said frame adapted to retain a column ofcoins in stacked relation therein, an elevator secured for selective vertical movement in said frame and having an integral platform under said magazine for supporting said column of coins, slide means positioned for laterally displacing and discharging a predetermined number of coins from said platform when operated, camming means secured to said slide and adapted for vertical movement thereon, urging means for holding said camming means in its lowermost position on said slide, lever means on said frame connected with said camming means for simultaneously reciprocating said camming means and said slide, abutment means on said elevator positioned in the vertical path of movement of said camming means whereby the locking engagement of a coin between the lower edge of said magazine and said slide will temporarily arrest the discharge movement of said slide and raise said camming means against the restraining action of said urging means raise said abutment and said elevator and move said coin into said magazine and permit said slide to continue its discharge movement when said lever means is operated.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Miller Aug. 1, 1939 

